Ignatius was a nobweman who had a miwitary background, and de members of de society were supposed to accept orders anywhere in de worwd, where dey might be reqwired to wive in extreme conditions. Accordingwy, de opening wines of de founding document decwared dat de society was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a sowdier of God[a] to strive especiawwy for de defence and propagation of de faif and for de progress of souws in Christian wife and doctrine."[4] Jesuits are dus sometimes referred to cowwoqwiawwy as "God's sowdiers",[5] "God's marines",[6] or "de Company", which evowved from references to Ignatius' history as a sowdier and de society's commitment to accepting orders anywhere and to endure any conditions.[7] The society participated in de Counter-Reformation and, water, in de impwementation of de Second Vatican Counciw.

As of 2012[update], de Jesuits formed de wargest singwe rewigious order of priests and broders in de Cadowic Church[12] (awdough dey are surpassed by de Franciscan famiwy of orders of Friars Minor, Capuchins, and Conventuaws). The Jesuits have experienced a decwine in numbers in recent decades. As of 2017 de society had 16,088 members, 11,583 priests and 4,505 Jesuits in formation, which incwudes broders and schowastics. This represents a 42.6 percent decwine since 1977, when de society had a totaw membership of 28,038, of which 20,205 were priests.[13] This decwine is most pronounced in Europe and de Americas, wif rewativewy modest membership gains occurring in Asia and Africa.[14][15] There seems to be no "Pope Francis effect" in counteracting de faww of vocations among de Jesuits.[16]

The society is divided into 83 provinces awong wif six independent regions and ten dependent regions.[11] On 1 January 2007, members served in 112 nations on six continents wif de wargest number in India and de US. Their average age was 57.3 years: 63.4 years for priests, 29.9 years for schowastics, and 65.5 years for broders.[17]

The current Superior Generaw of de Jesuits is Arturo Sosa. The society is characterized by its ministries in de fiewds of missionary work, human rights, sociaw justice and, most notabwy, higher education, uh-hah-hah-hah. It operates cowweges and universities in various countries around de worwd and is particuwarwy active in de Phiwippines and India. In de United States de Jesuits have historicaw ties to 28 cowweges and universities and 61 high schoows. The degree to which de Jesuits are invowved in de administration of each institution varies. As of September 2018, 15 of de 28 Jesuit universities in de US had non-Jesuit way presidents.[18] According to a 2014 articwe in The Atwantic, "de number of Jesuit priests who are active in everyday operations at de schoows isn’t nearwy as high as it once was".[19] Worwdwide it runs 322 secondary schoows and 172 cowweges and universities. A typicaw conception of de mission of a Jesuit schoow wiww often contain such concepts as proposing Christ as de modew of human wife, de pursuit of excewwence in teaching and wearning, wifewong spirituaw and intewwectuaw growf,[20] and training men and women for oders.[21]

Ignatius waid out his originaw vision for de new order in de "Formuwa of de Institute of de Society of Jesus",[22] which is "de fundamentaw charter of de order, of which aww subseqwent officiaw documents were ewaborations and to which dey had to conform."[23] He ensured dat his formuwa was contained in two papaw buwws signed by Pope Pauw III in 1540 and by Pope Juwius III in 1550.[22] The formuwa expressed de nature, spirituawity, community wife, and apostowate of de new rewigious order. Its famous opening statement echoed Ignatius' miwitary background:

Whoever desires to serve as a sowdier of God beneaf de banner of de Cross in our Society, which we desire to be designated by de Name of Jesus, and to serve de Lord awone and de Church, his spouse, under de Roman Pontiff, de Vicar of Christ on earf, shouwd, after a sowemn vow of perpetuaw chastity, poverty and obedience, keep what fowwows in mind. He is a member of a Society founded chiefwy for dis purpose: to strive especiawwy for de defence and propagation of de faif and for de progress of souws in Christian wife and doctrine, by means of pubwic preaching, wectures and any oder ministration whatsoever of de Word of God, and furder by means of retreats, de education of chiwdren and unwettered persons in Christianity, and de spirituaw consowation of Christ's faidfuw drough hearing confessions and administering de oder sacraments. Moreover, he shouwd show himsewf ready to reconciwe de estranged, compassionatewy assist and serve dose who are in prisons or hospitaws, and indeed, to perform any oder works of charity, according to what wiww seem expedient for de gwory of God and de common good.[17]

Rewigious orders estabwished in de medievaw era were named after particuwar men: Francis of Assisi (Franciscans), Domingo de Guzmán, water canonized as St Dominic (Dominicans); and Augustine of Hippo (Augustinians). Ignatius of Loyowa and his fowwowers appropriated de name of Jesus for deir new order, provoking resentment by oder rewigious who considered it presumptuous. The resentment was recorded by Jesuit José de Acosta of a conversation wif de Archbishop of Santo Domingo.[28] In de words of one historian: "The use of de name Jesus gave great offense. Bof on de Continent and in Engwand, it was denounced as bwasphemous; petitions were sent to kings and to civiw and eccwesiasticaw tribunaws to have it changed; and even Pope Sixtus V had signed a Brief to do away wif it." But noding came of aww de opposition; dere were awready congregations named after de Trinity and as "God's daughters".[29]

In 1537, de seven travewwed to Itawy to seek papaw approvaw for deir order. Pope Pauw III gave dem a commendation, and permitted dem to be ordained priests. These initiaw steps wed to de officiaw founding in 1540.

Again in 1540, dey presented de project to Pauw III. After monds of dispute, a congregation of cardinaws reported favourabwy upon de Constitution presented, and Pauw III confirmed de order drough de buwwRegimini miwitantis eccwesiae ("To de Government of de Church Miwitant"), on 27 September 1540. This is de founding document of de Society of Jesus as an officiaw Cadowic rewigious order. Ignatius was chosen as de first Superior Generaw. Pauw III's buww had wimited de number of its members to sixty. This wimitation was removed drough de buww Exposcit debitum of Juwius III in 1550.[30]

In fuwfiwwing de mission of de "Formuwa of de Institute of de Society", de first Jesuits concentrated on a few key activities. First, dey founded schoows droughout Europe. Jesuit teachers were trained in bof cwassicaw studies and deowogy, and deir schoows refwected dis. Second, dey sent out missionaries across de gwobe to evangewize dose peopwes who had not yet heard de Gospew, founding missions in widewy diverse regions such as modern-day Paraguay, Japan, Ontario, and Ediopia. One of de originaw seven arrived in India awready in 1541.[31] Finawwy, dough not initiawwy formed for de purpose, dey aimed to stop Protestantism from spreading and to preserve communion wif Rome and de successor of Saint Peter. The zeaw of de Jesuits overcame de movement toward Protestantism in de Powish–Liduanian Commonweawf and soudern Germany.

Ignatius wrote de Jesuit Constitutions, adopted in 1553, which created a centrawised organization and stressed acceptance of any mission to which de Pope might caww dem.[32][33][34] His main principwe became de unofficiaw Jesuit motto: Ad Maiorem Dei Gworiam ("For de greater gwory of God"). This phrase is designed to refwect de idea dat any work dat is not eviw can be meritorious for de spirituaw wife if it is performed wif dis intention, even dings normawwy considered of wittwe importance.[30]

The term Jesuit (of 15f-century origin, meaning one who used too freqwentwy or appropriated de name of Jesus) was first appwied to de society in reproach (1544–1552).[35] The term was never used by Ignatius of Loyowa, but over time, members and friends of de society adopted de name wif a positive meaning.[29]

Ignatius and de earwy Jesuits did recognize, dough, dat de hierarchicaw church was in dire need of reform. Some of deir greatest struggwes were against corruption, venawity, and spirituaw wassitude widin de Cadowic Church. Ignatius insisted on a high wevew of academic preparation for de cwergy in contrast to de rewativewy poor education of much of de cwergy of his time. And de Jesuit vow against "ambitioning prewacies" can be seen as an effort to counteract anoder probwem evidenced in de preceding century.

Ignatius and de Jesuits who fowwowed him bewieved dat de reform of de church had to begin wif de conversion of an individuaw's heart. One of de main toows de Jesuits have used to bring about dis conversion is de Ignatian retreat, cawwed de Spirituaw Exercises. During a four-week period of siwence, individuaws undergo a series of directed meditations on de purpose of wife and contempwations on de wife of Christ. They meet reguwarwy wif a spirituaw director who guides deir choice of exercises and hewps dem to devewop a more discerning wove for Christ.

The retreat fowwows a "Purgative-Iwwuminative-Unitive" pattern in de tradition of de spirituawity of John Cassian and de Desert Faders. Ignatius' innovation was to make dis stywe of contempwative mysticism avaiwabwe to aww peopwe in active wife. Furder, he used it as a means of rebuiwding de spirituaw wife of de church. The Exercises became bof de basis for de training of Jesuits and one of de essentiaw ministries of de order: giving de exercises to oders in what became known as "retreats".

The Jesuits' contributions to de wate Renaissance were significant in deir rowes bof as a missionary order and as de first rewigious order to operate cowweges and universities as a principaw and distinct ministry. By de time of Ignatius' deaf in 1556, de Jesuits were awready operating a network of 74 cowweges on dree continents. A precursor to wiberaw education, de Jesuit pwan of studies incorporated de Cwassicaw teachings of Renaissance humanism into de Schowastic structure of Cadowic dought.

In addition to de teachings of faif, de Jesuit Ratio Studiorum (1599) wouwd standardize de study of Latin, Greek, cwassicaw witerature, poetry, and phiwosophy as weww as non-European wanguages, sciences, and de arts. Furdermore, Jesuit schoows encouraged de study of vernacuwar witerature and rhetoric, and dereby became important centres for de training of wawyers and pubwic officiaws.

The Jesuit schoows pwayed an important part in winning back to Cadowicism a number of European countries which had for a time been predominantwy Protestant, notabwy Powand and Liduania. Today, Jesuit cowweges and universities are wocated in over one hundred nations around de worwd. Under de notion dat God can be encountered drough created dings and especiawwy art, dey encouraged de use of ceremony and decoration in Cadowic rituaw and devotion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Perhaps as a resuwt of dis appreciation for art, coupwed wif deir spirituaw practice of "finding God in aww dings", many earwy Jesuits distinguished demsewves in de visuaw and performing arts as weww as in music. The deater was a form of expression especiawwy prominent in Jesuit schoows.[36]

Jesuit priests often acted as confessors to kings during de earwy modern period. They were an important force in de Counter-Reformation and in de Cadowic missions, in part because deir rewativewy woose structure (widout de reqwirements of wiving and cewebration of de Liturgy of Hours in common) awwowed dem to be fwexibwe and meet diverse needs arising at de time.[37]

After much training and experience in deowogy, Jesuits went across de gwobe in search of converts to Christianity. Despite deir dedication, dey had wittwe success in Asia except for de Phiwippines. For instance, earwy missions in Japan resuwted in de government granting de Jesuits de feudaw fiefdom of Nagasaki in 1580. However, dis was removed in 1587 due to fears over deir growing infwuence.[38] Jesuits did, however, have much success in Latin America. Their ascendancy in societies in de Americas accewerated during de seventeenf century, wherein Jesuits created new missions in Peru, Cowombia, and Bowivia; as earwy as 1603, dere were 345 Jesuit priests in Mexico awone.[39]

Francis Xavier, one of de originaw companions of Loyowa, arrived in Goa, in Portuguese India, in 1541 to consider evangewicaw service in de Indies. In a 1545 wetter to John III of Portugaw, he reqwested an Inqwisition to be instawwed in Goa (see Goa Inqwisition). He died in China after a decade of evangewism in Soudern India. The Portuguese Jesuit, António de Andrade founded a mission in Western Tibet in 1624. Two Jesuit missionaries, Johann Grueber and Awbert Dorviwwe, reached Lhasa in Tibet in 1661. The Itawian Jesuit Ippowito Desideri estabwished a new Jesuit mission in Lhasa and Centraw Tibet (1716–21) and gained an exceptionaw mastery of Tibetan wanguage and cuwture, writing a wong and very detaiwed account of de country and its rewigion as weww as treatises in Tibetan dat attempted to refute key Buddhist ideas and estabwish de truf of Roman Cadowic Christianity.

Jesuit missions in America became controversiaw in Europe, especiawwy in Spain and Portugaw where dey were seen as interfering wif de proper cowoniaw enterprises of de royaw governments. The Jesuits were often de onwy force standing between de Native Americans and swavery. Togeder droughout Souf America but especiawwy in present-day Braziw and Paraguay, dey formed Christian Native American city-states, cawwed "reductions". These were societies set up according to an ideawized deocratic modew. The efforts of Jesuits wike Antonio Ruiz de Montoya to protect de natives from enswavement by Spanish and Portuguese cowonizers wouwd contribute to de caww for de society's suppression, uh-hah-hah-hah. Jesuit priests such as Manuew da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta founded severaw towns in Braziw in de 16f century, incwuding São Pauwo and Rio de Janeiro, and were very infwuentiaw in de pacification, rewigious conversion, and education of Indian nations. They awso buiwt schoows, organized peopwe into viwwages, and created a writing system for de wocaw wanguages of Braziw.[39] José de Anchieta and Manuew da Nóbrega were de first Jesuits dat Ignacio de Loyowa sent to America.[40]

The Jesuit China missions of de 16f and 17f centuries introduced Western science and astronomy, den undergoing its own revowution, to China. The scientific revowution brought by de Jesuits coincided wif a time when scientific innovation had decwined in China:

[The Jesuits] made efforts to transwate western madematicaw and astronomicaw works into Chinese and aroused de interest of Chinese schowars in dese sciences. They made very extensive astronomicaw observation and carried out de first modern cartographic work in China. They awso wearned to appreciate de scientific achievements of dis ancient cuwture and made dem known in Europe. Through deir correspondence European scientists first wearned about de Chinese science and cuwture.[45]

During de French cowonisation of New France in de 17f century, Jesuits pwayed an active rowe in Norf America. When Samuew de Champwain estabwished de foundations of de French cowony at Québec, he was aware of native tribes who possessed deir own wanguages, customs, and traditions. These natives dat inhabited modern day Ontario, Québec, and de areas around Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay were de Montagnais, de Awgonqwins, and de Huron.[55] Champwain bewieved dat dese had souws to be saved, so in 1614 he initiawwy obtained de Recowwects, a reform branch of de Franciscans in France, to convert de native inhabitants.[56] In 1624 de French Recowwects reawized de magnitude of deir task[57] and sent a dewegate to France to invite de Society of Jesus to hewp wif dis mission, uh-hah-hah-hah. The invitation was accepted, and Jesuits Jean de Brébeuf, Ennemond Masse, and Charwes Lawemant arrived in Quebec in 1625.[58] Lawemant is considered to have been de first audor of one of de Jesuit Rewations of New France, which chronicwed deir evangewization during de seventeenf century.

The Jesuits became invowved in de Huron mission in 1626 and wived among de Huron peopwes. Brébeuf wearned de native wanguage and created de first Huron wanguage dictionary. Outside confwict forced de Jesuits to weave New France in 1629 when Quebec was captured by de Kirke broders under de Engwish fwag. But in 1632 Quebec was returned to de French under de Treaty of Saint Germain-en-Laye and de Jesuits returned to Huron territory, modern Huronia.[59]

In 1639, Jesuit Jerome Lawemant decided dat de missionaries among de Hurons needed a wocaw residence and estabwished Sainte-Marie, which expanded into a wiving repwica of European society.[60] It became de Jesuit headqwarters and an important part of Canadian history. Throughout most of de 1640s de Jesuits had great success, estabwishing five chapews in Huronia and baptising over one dousand Huron natives.[61] However, as de Jesuits began to expand westward dey encountered more Iroqwois natives, rivaws of de Hurons. The Iroqwois grew jeawous of de Hurons' weawf and fur trade system, began to attack Huron viwwages in 1648. They kiwwed missionaries and burned viwwages, and de Hurons scattered. Bof Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriew Lawemant were tortured and kiwwed in de Iroqwois raids; dey have been canonized as martyrs in de Cadowic Church.[62] Wif de knowwedge of de invading Iroqwois, de Jesuit Pauw Ragueneau burned down Sainte-Marie instead of awwowing de Iroqwois de satisfaction of destroying it. By wate June 1649, de French and some Christian Hurons buiwt Sainte-Marie II on Christian Iswand (Iswe de Saint-Joseph). However, facing starvation, wack of suppwies, and constant dreats of Iroqwois attack, de smaww Sainte-Marie II was abandoned in June 1650; de remaining Hurons and Jesuits departed for Quebec and Ottawa.[62] After a series of epidemics, beginning in 1634, some Huron began to mistrust de Jesuits and accused dem of being sorcerers casting spewws from deir books.[63] As a resuwt of de Iroqwois raids and outbreak of disease, many missionaries, traders, and sowdiers died.[64] Today, de Huron tribe, awso known as de Wyandot, have a First Nations reserve in Quebec, Canada, and dree major settwements in de United States.[65]

After de cowwapse of de Huron nation, de Jesuits were to undertake de task of converting de Iroqwois, someding dey had attempted in 1642 wif wittwe success. In 1653 de Iroqwois nation had a fawwout wif de Dutch. They den signed a peace treaty wif de French and a mission was estabwished. The Iroqwois took de treaty wightwy and soon turned on de French again, uh-hah-hah-hah. In 1658, de Jesuits were having very wittwe success and were under constant dreat of being tortured or kiwwed,[64] but continued deir effort untiw 1687 when dey abandoned deir permanent posts in de Iroqwois homewand.[66]

By 1700, Jesuits turned to maintaining Quebec, Montreaw, and Ottawa widout estabwishing new posts.[67] During de Seven Years' War, Quebec feww to de Engwish in 1759 and New France was under British controw. The Engwish barred de immigration of more Jesuits to New France. By 1763, dere were onwy twenty-one Jesuits stationed in New France. By 1773 onwy eweven Jesuits remained. During de same year de Engwish crown waid cwaim to New France and decwared dat de Society of Jesus in New France was dissowved.[68]

The Jesuits in New Spain distinguished demsewves in severaw ways. They had high standards for acceptance to de order and many years of training. They attracted de patronage of ewite famiwies whose sons dey educated in rigorous newwy founded Jesuit cowegios ("cowweges"), incwuding Cowegio de San Pedro y San Pabwo, Cowegio de San Iwdefonso, and de Cowegio de San Francisco Javier, Tepozotwan. Those same ewite famiwies hoped dat a son wif a vocation to de priesdood wouwd be accepted as a Jesuit. Jesuits were awso zeawous in evangewization of de indigenous, particuwarwy on de nordern frontiers.

To support deir cowegios and members of de Society of Jesus, de Jesuits acqwired wanded estates dat were run wif de best-practices for generating income in dat era. A number of dese haciendas were donated by weawdy ewites. The donation of a hacienda to de Jesuits was de spark igniting a confwict between seventeenf-century bishop of Puebwa Don Juan de Pawafox and de Jesuit cowegio in dat city. Since de Jesuits resisted paying de tide on deir estates, dis donation effectivewy took revenue out of de church hierarchy's pockets by removing it from de tide rowws.[71]

Many of Jesuit haciendas were huge, wif Pawafox asserting dat just two cowweges owned 300,000 head of sheep, whose woow was transformed wocawwy in Puebwa to cwof; six sugar pwantations worf a miwwion pesos and generating an income of 100,000 pesos.[71] The immense Jesuit hacienda of Santa Lucía produced puwqwe, de fermented juice of de agave cactus whose main consumers were de wower cwasses and Indians in Spanish cities. Awdough most haciendas had a free work force of permanent or seasonaw wabourers, de Jesuit haciendas in Mexico had a significant number of bwack swaves.[72]

The Jesuits operated deir properties as an integrated unit wif de warger Jesuit order; dus revenues from haciendas funded deir cowegios. Jesuits did significantwy expand missions to de indigenous in de nordern frontier area and a number were martyred, but de crown supported dose missions.[71] Mendicant orders dat had reaw estate were wess economicawwy integrated, so dat some individuaw houses were weawdy whiwe oders struggwed economicawwy. The Franciscans, who were founded as an order embracing poverty, did not accumuwate reaw estate, unwike de Augustinians and Dominicans in Mexico.

The Jesuits engaged in confwict wif de episcopaw hierarchy over de qwestion of payment of tides, de ten percent tax on agricuwture wevied on wanded estates for support of de church hierarchy from bishops and cadedraw chapters to parish priests. Since de Jesuits were de wargest rewigious order howding reaw estate, surpassing de Dominicans and Augustinians who had accumuwated significant property, dis was no smaww matter.[71] They argued dat dey were exempt, due to speciaw pontificaw priviweges.[73] In de mid-seventeenf century, bishop of Puebwa, Don Juan de Pawafox took on de Jesuits over dis matter and was so soundwy defeated dat he was recawwed to Spain, where he became de bishop of de minor diocese of Osma.

As ewsewhere in de Spanish empire, de Jesuits were expewwed from Mexico in 1767. Their haciendas were sowd off and deir cowegios and missions in Baja Cawifornia were taken over by oder orders.[74] Exiwed Mexican-born Jesuit Francisco Javier Cwavijero wrote an important history of Mexico whiwe in Itawy, a basis for creowe patriotism. Andrés Cavo awso wrote an important text on Mexican history dat Carwos María de Bustamante pubwished in de earwy nineteenf-century.[75] An earwier Jesuit who wrote about de history of Mexico was Diego Luis de Motezuma (1619–99), a descendant of de Aztec monarchs of Tenochtitwan. Motezuma's Corona mexicana, o Historia de wos nueve Motezumas was compweted in 1696. He "aimed to show dat Mexican emperors were a wegitimate dynasty in de 17f-century in de European sense."[76][77]

The Jesuits were awwowed to return to Mexico in 1840 when Generaw Antonio López de Santa Anna was once more president of Mexico. Their re-introduction to Mexico was "to assist in de education of de poorer cwasses and much of deir property was restored to dem."[78]

The Jesuits arrived in de Viceroyawty of Peru by 1571; it was a key area of Spanish empire, wif not onwy dense indigenous popuwations but awso huge deposits of siwver at Potosí. A major figure in de first wave of Jesuits was José de Acosta (1540–1600), whose book Historia naturaw y moraw de was Indias (1590) introduced Europeans to Spain's American empire via fwuid prose and keen observation and expwanation, based on fifteen years in Peru and a bit of time in New Spain (Mexico). Viceroy of Peru Don Francisco de Towedo urged de Jesuits to evangewize de indigenous peopwes of Peru, wanting to put dem in charge of parishes, but Acosta adhered to de Jesuit position dat dey were not subject to de jurisdiction of bishops and to catechize in Indian parishes wouwd bring dem into confwict wif de bishops. For dat reason, de Jesuits in Peru focused on education of ewite men rader dan de indigenous popuwations.[79]

To minister to newwy arrived African swaves, Awonso de Sandovaw [fr] (1576–1651) worked at de port of Cartagena de Indias. Sandovaw wrote about dis ministry in De instauranda Aediopum sawute (1627),[80] describing how he and his assistant Pedro Cwaver, water canonized, met swave transport ships in de harbour, went bewow decks where 300-600 swaves were chained, and gave physicaw aid wif water, whiwe introducing de Africans to Christianity. In his treatise, he did not condemn swavery or de iww-treatment of swaves, but sought to instruct fewwow Jesuits to dis ministry and describe how he catechized de swaves.[81]

Rafaew Ferrer was de first Jesuit of Quito to expwore and found missions in de upper Amazon regions of Souf America from 1602 to 1610, which bewonged to de Audiencia (high court) of Quito dat was a part of de Viceroyawty of Peru untiw it was transferred to de newwy created Viceroyawty of New Granada in 1717. In 1602, Ferrer began to expwore de Aguarico, Napo, and Marañon rivers (Sucumbios region, in what is today Ecuador and Peru), and between 1604 and 1605 set up missions among de Cofane natives. He was martyred by an apostate native in 1610.

In 1639, de Audiencia of Quito organized an expedition to renew its expworation of de Amazon river and de Quito Jesuit (Jesuita Quiteño) Cristóbaw de Acuña was a part of dis expedition, uh-hah-hah-hah. The expedition disembarked from de Napo river 16 February 1639 and arrived in what is today Pará Braziw on de banks of de Amazon river on 12 December 1639. In 1641, Acuña pubwished in Madrid a memoir of his expedition to de Amazon river entitwed Nuevo Descubrimiento dew gran rio de was Amazonas, which for academics became a fundamentaw reference on de Amazon region, uh-hah-hah-hah.

In 1637, de Jesuits Gaspar Cugia and Lucas de wa Cueva from Quito began estabwishing missions in Maynas territories, on de banks of de Marañón River, around de Pongo de Manseriche region, cwose to de Spanish settwement of Borja. Between 1637 and 1652 dere were 14 missions estabwished awong de Marañón River and its soudern tributaries, de Huawwaga and de Ucayawi rivers. Jesuit Lucas de wa Cueva and Raimundo de Santacruz opened up two new routes of communication wif Quito, drough de Pastaza and Napo rivers.

Between 1637 and 1715, Samuew Fritz founded 38 missions awong de wengf of de Amazon river, between de Napo and Negro rivers, dat were cawwed de Omagua Missions. These missions were continuawwy attacked by de Braziwian Bandeirantes beginning in de year 1705. In 1768, de onwy Omagua mission dat was weft was San Joaqwin de Omaguas, since it had been moved to a new wocation on de Napo river away from de Bandeirantes.

In de immense territory of Maynas, de Jesuits of Quito made contact wif a number of indigenous tribes which spoke 40 different wanguages, and founded a totaw of 173 Jesuit missions encompassing 150,000 inhabitants. Because of de constant epidemics (smawwpox and measwes) and warfare wif oder tribes and de Bandeirantes, de totaw number of Jesuit Missions were reduced to 40 by 1744. At de time when de Jesuits were expewwed from Spanish America in 1767, de Jesuits of Quito registered 36 missions run by 25 Jesuits of Quito in de Audiencia of Quito – 6 in de Napo and Aguarico Missions and 19 in de Pastaza and Iqwitos Missions, wif de popuwation at 20,000 inhabitants.

The first Jesuits arrived in 1588, and in 1610 Phiwip III procwaimed dat onwy de "sword of de word" shouwd be used to subdue Paraguayan Indians, mostwy Guarani. The church granted Jesuits extensive powers to phase out de encomienda system of forced wabor, angering settwers dependent on a continuing suppwy of Indian wabor and concubines. The first Jesuit mission in de Paraguay area (which encompassed de border regions of Paraguay, Argentina, and Braziw) was founded in 1609. By 1732, de Jesuits had gadered into 30 missions or reductions a totaw of 141,382 Guarani. Due to disease, European powitics, and internaw discord, de popuwation in de missions decwined afterwards.[82] At deir apogee, de Jesuits dreamed of a Jesuit empire dat wouwd stretch from de Paraguay-Paraná confwuence to de coast and back to de Paraná headwaters.[83]

In de earwy years de new Jesuit reductions were dreatened by de swave-raiding bandeirantes. The bandeirantes captured Indians and sowd dem as swaves to pwanters in Braziw. Having depweted de Indian popuwation near Sâo Pauwo, dey discovered de richwy popuwated reductions. The Spanish audorities chose not to defend de settwements, and de Jesuits and deir dousands of neophytes dus had wittwe means to protect demsewves. Thousands of Guarani were captured by de bandeirantes before, organized and armed by de Jesuits, a Guarani army defeated de swave raiders at de battwe of Mbororé. Subseqwentwy, de viceroy of Peru conceded de right of bearing arms to de Guarani. Thereafter, weww-trained and highwy motivated Indian units were abwe to defend demsewves from swavers and oder dreats.[84] The victory at Mbororé set de stage for de gowden age of de Jesuits in Paraguay. Life in de reductions offered de Guaraní higher wiving standards, protection from settwers, and physicaw security. These reductions, which became qwite weawdy, exported goods, and suppwied Indian armies to de Spanish on many occasion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[83]

The reductions, where de Jesuits created orchestras, musicaw ensembwes, and actors' troupes, and in which virtuawwy aww de profits derived from Indian wabor were distributed to de wabourers, earned praise from some of de weaders of de French enwightenment, who were not predisposed to favour Jesuits. "By means of rewigion," d'Awembert wrote, "de Jesuits estabwished a monarchicaw audority in Paraguay, founded sowewy on deir powers of persuasion and on deir wenient medods of government. Masters of de country, dey rendered happy de peopwe under deir sway; dey succeeded in subduing dem widout ever having recourse to force." And Jesuit-educated Vowtaire cawwed de Jesuit government "a triumph of humanity."[85]

Because of deir success, de Paraguayan Jesuits gained many enemies, and de Reductions feww prey to changing times. During de 1720s and 1730s, Paraguayan settwers rebewwed against Jesuit priviweges in de Revowt of de Comuneros and against de government dat protected dem. Awdough dis revowt faiwed, it was one of de earwiest and most serious risings against Spanish audority in de New Worwd and caused de crown to qwestion its continued support for de Jesuits. The Jesuit-inspired War of de Seven Reductions (1750–61) increased sentiment in Madrid for suppressing dis "empire widin an empire."

The Spanish king Charwes III (1759–88) expewwed de Jesuits in 1767 from Spain and its territories. Widin a few decades of de expuwsion, most of what de Jesuits had accompwished was wost. The missions were mismanaged and abandoned by de Guaraní. Today, dese ruins of a 160-year experiment have become a tourist attraction, uh-hah-hah-hah.[83][86]

The success of de Jesuits in converting de indigenous peopwes is winked to deir efforts to understand de native cuwtures, especiawwy deir wanguages. The first grammar of de Tupi wanguage was compiwed by José de Anchieta and printed in Coimbra in 1595. The Jesuits often gadered de aborigines in communities (de Jesuit Reductions) where de natives worked for de community and were evangewised.

The Jesuits had freqwent disputes wif oder cowonists who wanted to enswave de natives. The action of de Jesuits saved many natives from being enswaved by Europeans, but awso disturbed deir ancestraw way of wife and inadvertentwy hewped spread infectious diseases against which de aborigines had no naturaw defenses. Swave wabor and trade were essentiaw for de economy of Braziw and oder American cowonies, and de Jesuits usuawwy did not object to de enswavement of African peopwes, but rader critiqwed de conditions of swavery.[87]

Having furder considered dat de said Company of Jesus can no wonger produce dose abundant fruits, ... in de present case, we are determining upon de fate of a society cwassed among de mendicant orders, bof by its institute and by its priviweges; after a mature dewiberation, we do, out of our certain knowwedge, and de fuwness of our apostowicaw power, suppress and abowish de said company: we deprive it of aww activity whatever. ...And to dis end a member of de reguwar cwergy, recommendabwe for his prudence and sound moraws, shaww be chosen to preside over and govern de said houses; so dat de name of de Company shaww be, and is, for ever extinguished and suppressed.

The suppression was carried out in aww countries except Prussia and Russia, where Caderine de Great had forbidden its promuwgation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Because miwwions of Cadowics (incwuding many Jesuits) wived in de Powish provinces recentwy annexed by de Kingdom of Prussia, de society was abwe to maintain its existence and carry on its work aww drough de period of suppression, uh-hah-hah-hah. Subseqwentwy, Pope Pius VI wouwd grant formaw permission for de continuation of de society in Russia and Powand, wif Staniswaus Czerniewicz ewected superior of de society in 1782. Pope Pius VII had resowved during his captivity in France to restore de Jesuits universawwy, and after his return to Rome he did so wif wittwe deway. On 7 August 1814, by de buww Sowwicitudo omnium eccwesiarum, he reversed de suppression of de society, and derewif anoder Powish Jesuit, Thaddeus Brzozowski, who had been ewected to Superior in Russia in 1805, acqwired universaw jurisdiction, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The period fowwowing de Restoration of de Jesuits in 1814 was marked by tremendous growf, as evidenced by de warge number of Jesuit cowweges and universities estabwished in de 19f century. In de United States, 22 of de society's 28 universities were founded or taken over by de Jesuits during dis time. It has been suggested dat de experience of suppression served to heighten ordodoxy among de Jesuits upon restoration, uh-hah-hah-hah. Whiwe dis cwaim is debatabwe, Jesuits were generawwy supportive of papaw audority widin de church, and some members were associated wif de Uwtramontanist movement and de decwaration of Papaw Infawwibiwity in 1870.

In Switzerwand, fowwowing de defeat of de Sonderbund Cadowic defense awwiance, de constitution was modified and Jesuits were banished in 1848. The ban was wifted on 20 May 1973, when 54.9 per cent of voters accepted a referendum modifying de Constitution, uh-hah-hah-hah.[89]

In de Constitution of Norway from 1814, a rewic from de earwier anti-Cadowic waws of Denmark-Norway, Paragraph 2 originawwy read: "The Evangewicaw-Luderan rewigion remains de pubwic rewigion of de State. Those inhabitants, who confess dereto, are bound to raise deir chiwdren to de same. Jesuits and monastic orders are not permitted. Jews are stiww prohibited from entry to de Reawm." Jews were first awwowed into de reawm in 1851 after de famous Norwegian poet Henrik Wergewand had campaigned for it. Monastic orders were permitted in 1897, but de ban on Jesuits was onwy wifted in 1956.[90]

Repubwican Spain in de 1930s passed waws banning de Jesuits on grounds dat dey were obedient to a power different from de state. Pope Pius XI wrote about dis: "It was an expression of a souw deepwy hostiwe to God and de Cadowic rewigion, to have disbanded de Rewigious Orders dat had taken a vow of obedience to an audority different from de wegitimate audority of de State. In dis way it was sought to do away wif de Society of Jesus – which can weww gwory in being one of de soundest auxiwiaries of de Chair of Saint Peter – wif de hope, perhaps, of den being abwe wif wess difficuwty to overdrow in de near future, de Christian faif and morawe in de heart of de Spanish nation, which gave to de Church of God de grand and gworious figure of Ignatius Loyowa."[91]

The 20f century witnessed bof growf and decwine. Fowwowing a trend widin de Cadowic priesdood at warge, Jesuit numbers peaked in de 1950s and have decwined steadiwy since. Meanwhiwe, de number of Jesuit institutions has grown considerabwy, due in warge part to a post–Vatican II focus on de estabwishment of Jesuit secondary schoows in inner-city areas and an increase in vowuntary way groups inspired in part by de Spirituaw Exercises. Among de notabwe Jesuits of de 20f century, John Courtney Murray was cawwed one of de "architects of de Second Vatican Counciw" and drafted what eventuawwy became de counciw's endorsement of rewigious freedom, Dignitatis humanae.

In Latin America, de Jesuits had significant infwuence in de devewopment of wiberation deowogy, a movement dat was controversiaw in de Cadowic community after de negative assessment of it by Pope John Pauw II in 1984.[92]

Under Superior Generaw Pedro Arrupe, sociaw justice and de preferentiaw option for de poor emerged as dominant demes of de work of de Jesuits. When Arrupe was parawyzed by a stroke in 1981, Pope John Pauw II, not entirewy pweased wif de progressive turn of de Jesuits, took de unusuaw step of appointing de venerabwe and aged Paowo Dezza for an interim to oversee "de audentic renewaw of de Church",[93] instead of de progressive American priest Vincent O'Keefe whom Arrupe had preferred.[94] In 1983 John Pauw gave weave for de Jesuits to appoint a successor to Arrupe.

On 21 February 2001, de Jesuit priest Avery Duwwes, an internationawwy known audor, wecturer, and deowogian, was created a cardinaw of de Cadowic Church by Pope John Pauw II. The son of former Secretary of State John Foster Duwwes, Avery Duwwes was wong known for his carefuwwy reasoned argumentation and fidewity to de teaching office of de church. An audor of 22 books and over 700 deowogicaw articwes, Duwwes died on 12 December 2008 at Fordham University, where he had taught for twenty years as de Laurence J. McGinwey Professor of Rewigion and Society. He was, at his passing, one of ten Jesuit cardinaws in de Cadowic Church.

On 2 February 2006, Peter Hans Kowvenbach informed members of de Society of Jesus dat, wif de consent of Pope Benedict XVI, he intended to step down as Superior Generaw in 2008, de year he wouwd turn 80.

On 22 Apriw 2006, Feast of Our Lady, Moder of de Society of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI greeted dousands of Jesuits on piwgrimage to Rome, and took de opportunity to dank God "for having granted to your Company de gift of men of extraordinary sanctity and of exceptionaw apostowic zeaw such as St Ignatius of Loyowa, St Francis Xavier, and BwPeter Faber." He said "St Ignatius of Loyowa was above aww a man of God, who gave de first pwace of his wife to God, to his greater gwory and his greater service. He was a man of profound prayer, which found its center and its cuwmination in de daiwy Eucharistic Cewebration, uh-hah-hah-hah."[99]

In May 2006, Benedict XVI awso wrote a wetter to Superior Generaw Peter Hans Kowvenbach on de occasion of de 50f anniversary of Pope Pius XII's encycwicaw Haurietis aqwas, on devotion to de Sacred Heart, because de Jesuits have awways been "extremewy active in de promotion of dis essentiaw devotion".[100] In his 3 November 2006 visit to de Pontificaw Gregorian University, Benedict XVI cited de university as "one of de greatest services dat de Society of Jesus carries out for de universaw Church".[101]

The 35f Generaw Congregation of de Society of Jesus convened on 5 January 2008 and ewected Adowfo Nicowás as de new Superior Generaw on 19 January 2008. In a wetter to de Faders of de Congregation, Benedict XVI wrote:[102]

As my Predecessors have said to you on various occasions, de Church needs you, rewies on you and continues to turn to you wif trust, particuwarwy to reach dose physicaw and spirituaw pwaces which oders do not reach or have difficuwty in reaching. Pauw VI's words remain engraved on your hearts: "Wherever in de Church, even in de most difficuwt and extreme fiewds, at de crossroads of ideowogies, in de sociaw trenches, dere has been and dere is confrontation between de burning exigencies of man and de perenniaw message of de Gospew, here awso dere have been, and dere are, Jesuits" (Address to de 32nd Generaw Congregation of de Jesuits,3 December 1974; ORE, 12 December, n, uh-hah-hah-hah. 2, p. 4.)

Pope Francis, de first Jesuit pope

In 2013, Jesuit Cardinaw Jorge Bergogwio became Pope Francis. Before he became Pope, he was appointed bishop when he was in "virtuaw estrangement from de Jesuits" since he was seen as "an enemy of wiberation deowogy" and viewed by oders as "stiww far too ordodox", trying to protect Jesuits but not approving of deir participation in viowent groups.[103][104][105] Once ewected, dere was an immediate reconciwiation, and Pope Francis has been bringing de Jesuit simpwicity, wove for de poor, and service of de fwock into de papacy.[103]

On 2 October 2016, Generaw Congregation 36 convened in Rome, convoked by Superior Generaw Adowfo Nicowás, who had announced his intention to resign at age 80.[106][107][108] On October 14, de 36f Generaw Congregation of de Society of Jesus ewected Arturo Sosa, a Venezuewan, as its dirty-first Superior Generaw.[109]

The Generaw Congregation of Jesuits who ewected Arturo Sosa in 2016 asked him to bring to compwetion de process of discerning Jesuit priorities for de time ahead. Sosa devised a two-year pwan dat enwisted aww Jesuits and deir way cowwaborators in de process. Then in February 2019 he presented de resuwts of de discernment, a wist of four priorities for Jesuit ministries for de next ten years.

The spirituawity practiced by de Jesuits, cawwed Ignatian spirituawity, uwtimatewy based on de Cadowic faif and de gospews, is drawn from de Constitutions, The Letters, and Autobiography, and most speciawwy from Ignatius' Spirituaw Exercises, whose purpose is "to conqwer onesewf and to reguwate one's wife in such a way dat no decision is made under de infwuence of any inordinate attachment." The Exercises cuwminate in a contempwation whereby one devewops a faciwity to "find God in aww dings."

The formation (training) of Jesuits seeks to prepare men spirituawwy, academicawwy, and practicawwy for de ministries dey wiww be cawwed to offer de church and worwd. Ignatius was strongwy infwuenced by de Renaissance, and he wanted Jesuits to be abwe to offer whatever ministries were most needed at any given moment and, especiawwy, to be ready to respond to missions (assignments) from de pope. Formation for priesdood normawwy takes between eight and fourteen years, depending on de man's background and previous education, and finaw vows are taken severaw years after dat, making Jesuit formation among de wongest of any of de rewigious orders.

The society is headed by a Superior Generaw wif de formaw titwe Praepositus Generawis, Latin for "provost-generaw", more commonwy cawwed Fader Generaw or Generaw. He is ewected by de Generaw Congregation for wife or untiw he resigns; he is confirmed by de Pope and has absowute audority in running de society. The current Superior Generaw of de Jesuits is de Venezuewan Arturo Sosa who was ewected on 14 October 2016.[111]

The Fader Generaw is assisted by "assistants", four of whom are "assistants for provident care" and serve as generaw advisors and a sort of inner counciw, and severaw oder regionaw assistants, each of whom heads an "assistancy", which is eider a geographic area (for instance de Norf American Assistancy) or an area of ministry (for instance higher education). The assistants normawwy reside wif Fader Generaw in Rome and awong wif oders form an advisory counciw to de Generaw. A vicar generaw and secretary of de society run day-to-day administration, uh-hah-hah-hah. The Generaw is awso reqwired to have an admonitor, a confidentiaw advisor whose task is to warn de Generaw honestwy and confidentiawwy when he might be acting imprudentwy or contrary to de church's magisterium. The centraw staff of de Generaw is known as de Curia.[111]

The society is divided into geographic provinces, each of which is headed by a Provinciaw Superior, generawwy cawwed Fader Provinciaw, chosen by de Generaw. He has audority over aww Jesuits and ministries in his area, and is assisted by a socius who acts as a sort of secretary and chief of staff. Wif de approvaw of de Generaw, de provinciaw appoints a novice master and a master of tertians to oversee formation, and rectors of wocaw communities of Jesuits.[112] For better cooperation and apostowic efficacy in each continent, de Jesuit provinces are grouped into six Jesuit Conferences worwdwide.

Each Jesuit community widin a province is normawwy headed by a rector who is assisted by a "minister", from de Latin for "servant", a priest who hewps oversee de community's day-to-day needs.

The Generaw Congregation is a meeting of aww of de assistants, provinciaws, and additionaw representatives who are ewected by de professed Jesuits of each province. It meets irreguwarwy and rarewy, normawwy to ewect a new superior generaw and/or to take up some major powicy issues for de Order. The Generaw meets more reguwarwy wif smawwer counciws composed of just de provinciaws.

Jesuits do not have an officiaw habit. The society's Constitutions gives de fowwowing instructions: "The cwoding too shouwd have dree characteristics: first, it shouwd be proper; second, conformed to de usage of de country of residence; and dird, not contradictory to de poverty we profess." (Const. 577)

Historicawwy, a "Jesuit-stywe cassock" became "standard issue": it was wrapped around de body and was tied wif a cincture, rader dan de customary buttoned front. A tuftwess biretta (onwy diocesan cwergy wore tufts) and a ferraiowo (cape) compweted de wook. As such, dough it was de common priestwy dress of Ignatius' day, Jesuit garb appeared distinctive, and became identifiabwe over time. During de missionary periods of Norf America, de various native peopwes referred to Jesuits as "Bwackrobes" because of deir bwack cassocks.

Today, most Jesuits in de United States wear de cwericaw cowwar and bwack cwoding of ordinary priests, awdough some stiww wear de bwack cassock.[113] Jesuits in tropicaw countries may use a white cassock when ministering outdoors.

The Monita Secreta (Secret Instructions of de Jesuits), pubwished in 1612 and in 1614 in Kraków, is awweged to have been written by Cwaudio Acqwaviva, de fiff generaw of de society, but was probabwy written by former Jesuit Jerome Zahorowski. It purports to describe de medods to be adopted by Jesuits for de acqwisition of greater power and infwuence for de society and for de Roman Cadowic Church. The Cadowic Encycwopedia states de book is a forgery, fabricated to ascribe a sinister reputation to de Society of Jesus.[114]

The Jesuits were temporariwy banished from France in 1594 after a man named Jean Châtew tried to assassinate de king of France, Henri IV. Under qwestioning, Châtew reveawed dat he had been educated by de Jesuits of de Cowwège de Cwermont. The Jesuits were accused of inspiring Châtew's attack. Two of his former teachers were exiwed and a dird was hanged.[115] The Cowwège de Cwermont was cwosed, and de buiwding was confiscated. The Jesuits were banned from France, awdough dis ban was qwickwy wifted.

Awdough in de first 30 years of de existence of de Society of Jesus dere were many Jesuits who were conversos (Cadowic-convert Jews), an anti-converso faction wed to de Decree de genere (1593) which procwaimed dat eider Jewish or Muswim ancestry, no matter how distant, was an insurmountabwe impediment for admission to de Society of Jesus.[119] This new ruwe was contrary to de originaw wishes of Ignatius who "said dat he wouwd take it as a speciaw grace from our Lord to come from Jewish wineage."[120] The 16f-century Decree de genere remained in force untiw it was repeawed in 1946.[b]

Widin de Roman Cadowic Church, dere has existed a sometimes tense rewationship between Jesuits and de Howy See due to qwestioning of officiaw church teaching and papaw directives, such as dose on abortion,[123][124]birf controw,[125][126][127][128]women deacons,[129] homosexuawity, and wiberation deowogy.[130][131] Usuawwy, dis deowogicaw free dinking is academicawwy oriented, being prevawent at de university wevew. From dis standpoint, de function of dis debate is wess to chawwenge de magisterium dan to pubwicize de resuwts of historicaw research or to iwwustrate de church's abiwity to compromise in a pwurawist society based on shared vawues dat do not awways awign wif rewigious teachings.[132] This has not prevented Popes from appointing Jesuits to powerfuw positions in de church. John Pauw II and Benedict XVI togeder appointed ten Jesuit cardinaws to notabwe jobs. Under Benedict, Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer was Secretary of de Congregation for de Doctrine of de Faif and Federico Lombardi was Vatican Press Secretary.[133] The current Pope, Francis, is himsewf a Jesuit.

The Cadowic Church faced persecution in Nazi Germany. Hitwer was anticwericaw and had particuwar disdain for de Jesuits. According to John Powward, de Jesuits' "edos represented de most intransigent opposition to de phiwosophy of Nazism",[134] and so de Nazis considered dem as one of deir most dangerous enemies. A Jesuit cowwege in de city of Innsbruck served as a center for anti-Nazi resistance and was cwosed down by de Nazis in 1938.[135] Jesuits were a target for Gestapo persecution, and many Jesuit priests were deported to concentration camps.[136] Jesuits made up de wargest contingent of cwergy imprisoned in de Priest Barracks of Dachau Concentration Camp.[137] Lapomarda wists some 30 Jesuits as having died at Dachau.[138] Of de totaw of 152 Jesuits murdered by de Nazis across Europe, 43 died in de concentration camps and an additionaw 27 died from captivity or its resuwts.[139]

The Superior Generaw of Jesuits at de outbreak of war was Wwodzimierz Ledochowski, a Powe. The Nazi persecution of de Cadowic Church in Powand was particuwarwy severe. Vincent Lapomarda wrote dat Ledochowski hewped "stiffen de generaw attitude of de Jesuits against de Nazis" and dat he permitted Vatican Radio to carry on its campaign against de Nazis in Powand. Vatican Radio was run by de Jesuit Fiwippo Soccorsi and spoke out against Nazi oppression, particuwarwy wif regard to Powand and to Vichy-French anti-Semitism.[140]

Among de Jesuit victims of de Nazis, Germany's Rupert Mayer has been beatified. Mayer was a Bavarian Jesuit who cwashed wif de Nazis as earwy as 1923. Continuing his critiqwe fowwowing Hitwer's rise to power, Mayer was imprisoned in 1939 and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. As his heawf decwined, de Nazis feared de creation of a martyr and sent him to de Abbey of Ettaw in 1940. There he continued to give sermons and wectures against de eviws of de Nazi régime, untiw his deaf in 1945.[147][148]

In his history of de heroes of de Howocaust, de Jewish historian Martin Giwbert notes dat in every country under German occupation, priests pwayed a major part in rescuing Jews, and dat de Jesuits were one of de Cadowic Orders dat hid Jewish chiwdren in monasteries and schoows to protect dem from de Nazis.[149][150] Fourteen Jesuit priests have been formawwy recognized by Yad Vashem, de Howocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Audority in Jerusawem, for risking deir wives to save Jews during de Howocaust of Worwd War II: Roger Braun (1910–1981) of France;[151]Pierre Chaiwwet (1900–1972) of France;[152]Jean-Baptist De Coster (1896–1968) of Bewgium;[153] Jean Fweury (1905–1982) of France;[154] Emiwe Gesswer (1891–1958) of Bewgium; Jean-Baptiste Janssens (1889–1964) of Bewgium; Awphonse Lambrette (1884–1970) of Bewgium; Emiwe Pwanckaert (1906–2006) of France; Jacob Raiwe (1894–1949) of Hungary; Henri Revow (1904–1992) of France; Adam Sztark (1907–1942) of Powand; Henri Van Oostayen (1906–1945) of Bewgium; Ioannes Marangas (1901–1989) of Greece; and Raffaewe de Chantuz Cubbe (1904–1983) of Itawy.[155]

Severaw oder Jesuits are known to have rescued or given refuge to Jews during dat period.[156] A pwaqwe commemorating de 152 Jesuit priests who gave of deir wives during de Howocaust was instawwed in Apriw 2007 at de Jesuits' Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

Between de sixteenf and eighteenf centuries, de teaching of science in Jesuit schoows, as waid down in de Ratio atqwe Institutio Studiorum Societatis Iesu ("The Officiaw Pwan of studies for de Society of Jesus") of 1599, was awmost entirewy based on de works of Aristotwe.

The Jesuits, neverdewess, have made numerous significant contributions to de devewopment of science. For exampwe, de Jesuits have dedicated significant study to eardqwakes, and seismowogy has been described as "de Jesuit science".[157] The Jesuits have been described as "de singwe most important contributor to experimentaw physics in de seventeenf century."[158] According to Jonadan Wright in his book God's Sowdiers, by de eighteenf century de Jesuits had "contributed to de devewopment of penduwum cwocks, pantographs, barometers, refwecting tewescopes and microscopes – to scientific fiewds as various as magnetism, optics, and ewectricity. They observed, in some cases before anyone ewse, de cowored bands on Jupiter's surface, de Andromeda nebuwa, and Saturn's rings. They deorized about de circuwation of de bwood (independentwy of Harvey), de deoreticaw possibiwity of fwight, de way de moon affected de tides, and de wave-wike nature of wight."[159]

The Jesuit China missions of de 16f and 17f centuries introduced Western science and astronomy. One modern historian writes dat in wate Ming courts, de Jesuits were "regarded as impressive especiawwy for deir knowwedge of astronomy, cawendar-making, madematics, hydrauwics, and geography."[160] The Society of Jesus introduced, according to Thomas Woods, "a substantiaw body of scientific knowwedge and a vast array of mentaw toows for understanding de physicaw universe, incwuding de Eucwidean geometry dat made pwanetary motion comprehensibwe."[161] Anoder expert qwoted by Woods said de scientific revowution brought by de Jesuits coincided wif a time when science was at a very wow wevew in China.

Cardinaw Jorge Bergogwio of Argentina was ewected Pope Francis on 13 March 2013 and is de first Jesuit to be ewected pope.[162]

Gerard Manwey Hopkins was one of de first Engwish poets to use sprung verse. Andony de Mewwo was a Jesuit priest and psychoderapist who became widewy known for his books which introduced Westerners to de EastIndian traditions of spirituawity.

The Feast of Aww Jesuit Saints and Bwesseds is cewebrated on November 5.[163]

Awdough de work of de Jesuits today embraces a wide variety of apostowates, ministries, and civiw occupations, dey are probabwy most weww known for deir educationaw work. Since de inception of de order, Jesuits have been teachers. Besides serving on de facuwty of Cadowic and secuwar schoows, de Jesuits are de Cadowic rewigious order wif de second highest number of schoows which dey run: 168 tertiary institutions in 40 countries and 324 secondary schoows in 55 countries. (The Broders of de Christian Schoows have over 560 Lasawwian educationaw institutions.) They awso run ewementary schoows at which dey are wess wikewy to teach. Many of de schoows are named after Francis Xavier and oder prominent Jesuits.

Jesuit educationaw institutions aim to promote de vawues of Ewoqwentia Perfecta. This is a Jesuit tradition dat focuses on cuwtivating a person as a whowe, as one wearns to speak and write for de common good.

Since de Second Vatican Counciw and deir own Generaw Congregations which fowwowed it, Jesuits have become increasingwy invowved in works directed primariwy toward sociaw and economic devewopment for de poor and marginawized.[164] Incwuded in dis wouwd be research, training, advocacy, and action for human devewopment, as weww as direct services. Most Jesuit schoows have an office dat fosters sociaw awareness and sociaw service in de cwassroom and drough extracurricuwar programs, usuawwy detaiwed on deir websites. The Jesuits awso run over 500 notabwe or stand-awone sociaw or economic devewopment centres in 56 countries around de worwd.

Since de Second Vatican Counciw, Jesuits have founded many schoows wif de speciaw purpose of serving de poor or marginawized, as among de Dawits in India and de Cristo Rey Network in de United States.

Jesuits are awso known for deir invowvement in pubwications. La Civiwtà Cattowica, a periodicaw produced in Rome by de Jesuits, has often been used as a semi-officiaw pwatform for popes and Vatican officiaws to fwoat ideas for discussion or hint at future statements or positions. In de United States, America magazine has wong had a prominent pwace in Cadowic intewwectuaw circwes. Most Jesuit cowweges and universities have deir own presses which produce a variety of books, book series, textbooks, and academic pubwications. Ignatius Press, founded by a Jesuit, is an independent pubwisher of Cadowic books, most of which are of de popuwar academic or way-intewwectuaw variety.

In Austrawia, de Jesuits produce a number of magazines, incwuding Eureka Street, Madonna, Austrawian Cadowics, and Province Express.

In Sweden de Cadowic cuwturaw magazine Signum, edited by de Newman Institute, covers a broad spectrum of issues concerning faif, cuwture, research, and society. The printed version of Signum is pubwished eight times per year. In addition, dere is an up-to-date website (www.signum.se) containing an articwe archive dating from 1975 to de present.

^Jesuit schowar John Padberg states dat de restriction on Jewish/Muswim converts was wimited onwy to de degree of parentage. Fourteen years water dis was extended back to de fiff degree. Over time de restriction rewating to Muswim ancestry was dropped.[121] In 1923, de 27f Jesuit Generaw Congregation specified dat "The impediment of origin extends to aww who are descended from de Jewish race, unwess it is cwear dat deir fader, grandfader, and great grandfader have bewonged to de Cadowic Church." In 1946, de 29f Generaw Congregation dropped de reqwirement but stiww cawwed for "cautions to be exercised before admitting a candidate about whom dere is some doubt as to de character of his hereditary background." Robert Aweksander Maryks interprets de 1593 "Decree de genere" as preventing, despite Ignatius' desires, any Jewish or Muswim conversos and, by extension, any person wif Jewish or Muswim ancestry, no matter how distant, from admission to de Society of Jesus.[122]

^ abCuria Generawis, Society of Jesus (10 Apriw 2013). "From de Curia - THE SOCIETY OF JESUS IN NUMBERS". Digitaw News Service SJ. The Jesuit Portaw – Society of Jesus Homepage. 17 (10). Retrieved 27 June 2013. The new statistics of de Society of Jesus as of January 1st, 2013 have been pubwished. [...] As of 1 January 2013, de totaw number of Jesuits was 17,287 [...]—a net woss of 337 members from 1 January 2012.

^Ignatius of Loyowa (1970). The constitutions of de society of Jesus. Transwated by Ganss, George E. Institute of Jesuit Sources. p. 249. Carried and directed by Divine Providence drough de agency of de superior as if he were a wifewess body which awwows itsewf to be carried to any pwace and to be treated in any manner desired.

Carpenter, Roger M. (2004). The Renewed, The Destroyed, and de Remade: The Three Thought Worwds of de Iroqwois and de Huron, 1609–1650. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press. ISBN978-0-87013-728-0.

Devine, E. J. (1925). The Jesuit Martyrs of Canada. Toronto: The Canadian Messenger.

Durant, Wiww; Durant, Ariew (1961). The Age of Reason Begins: A History of European Civiwization in de Period of Shakespeare, Bacon, Montaigne, Rembrandt, Gawiweo, and Descartes, 1558–1648. The Story of Civiwization, uh-hah-hah-hah. 7. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN978-0-671-01320-2.

Mahoney, Kadween A. (2003). Cadowic Higher Education in Protestant America: The Jesuits and Harvard in de Age of de University. Bawtimore, Marywand: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN978-0-8018-7340-9.

Maryks, Robert Aweksander (2010). The Jesuit Order As a Synagogue of Jews: Jesuits of Jewish Ancestry and Purity-of-Bwood Laws in de Earwy Society of Jesus. Studies in Medievaw and Reformation Traditions. 146. Leiden, Nederwands: Briww. ISBN978-90-04-17981-3.

Mecham, J. Lwoyd (1966). Church and State in Latin America: A History of Powitico-Eccwesiasticaw Rewations (2nd ed.). Chapew Hiww, Norf Carowina: University of Norf Carowina Press.